Thoughts from a Canadian Vicar

After over one month in hospital in London, Chris Hornby came home on Sunday. He was pretty excited to call me on Sunday afternoon to let people at the church know that he was coming home and how very thankful he is for all the thoughts, well wishes and cards and prayers that have been sent his way.

Chris is such an inspiration. To me he is a shining example of stick-to-itiveness. He has been through so much and he continues to put a smile on his face. While I know he has had hard days in the past little while, I could see today that that spirit that is so strong in him has not been diminished. In the meantime I have found so many insignificant things to complain about that it is embarrassing really.

Christopher Reeve – Superman himself famously said that "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." Chris is one of my biggest hero’s because he always perseveres. As we continue on our Lenten Journey, people like Chris remind us that we can overcome so much if we put stretch ourselves. God has supplanted in us all that is necessary to weather the raging storms. I have seen such witness in those who have overcome so much – Chris is one of them. I pray that as I follow my Lenten discipline I might remind myself daily to dig deep and seek hope. When I fall back, I will look to people like Chris to have strength to perservere.

Chris is bearing witness to what Paul write to the people in Rome when they were feeling the struggle of affliction;

"But we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." – Romans 5:3b-5

You can view a video that Chris and I produced today in celebration of his return. He thanks people personally for all of their love and support on this video. Take a look by clicking here.

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Canon Kevin

I am an Anglican priest at St. Aidan's church in London, Ontario. We are a growing and loving community and I am fortunate to minister side by side with the people of God in this place. This Blog is a place to offer my thoughts on theology, the church, and the place of the church in the world today. I am glad that you have stopped by to visit and invite you to leave your comments.